I get fed up with the stasi-style tactics people use to try and make mums who bottle-feed their babies feel as though they are doing something inherently wrong – or bad. I am speaking from experience here as I both nursed and bottle-fed my five sons and I defy just one of these so-called ‘experts’ to pick out which one took the bottle. They couldn’t, because it has no bearing on how your child turns out.

Now it is being said that bottle-feeding using formula can result in obesity by the time the child turns five – rubbish. Obesity is caused not by the milk in the bottle, but by the cola, fizzy drinks and sugary juices that many babies and children get handed to them to suck on while mum strolls round the shops. I have seen babies less than a year old lying in a pram sucking on a cola-filled bottle, just this week in the chemist I saw a teenage girl give her baby – aged no more than nine months old – a chupa chup in it’s mouth to keep it quiet. That kid’s teeth are finished before they are even started!

It is what you DO NOT feed your children that keeps obesity at bay; no child ever got fat eating fresh fruit and vegetables, keep them away from the rubbish and junk food is the answer.

Since returning here to Northern Ireland after living in France for five years we have made serious inroads into our plans to up the ante on our exercise regime. We have done that quite well and it is not too hard to get into the walking thing here because there are so many beautiful places to go walking and you are spoiled for choice. I like the national parks as the trails are well cut and well maintained plus you get some incredible scenery to look at along the way.

I have worn out three pairs of trainers in the past year and am down to the tread on my current pair so that they let the water in now if the ground is wet. I have seen those unusual looking mbt shoes that are in the shops these days and strangely I have yet to see someone wearing a pair when out and about. How do they feel when they are on…? let me know if you’ve got  pair because they carry quite a price tag but I’m thinking they would do for my walks during the colder weather.